Morality - Final Project

Morality Final Project

Mrs. Alvares, Spring 2024

 Due Thursday, December 19 at the beginning of class

This will be in lieu of a final exam and comprises 15% of your spring semester grade

Your final Morality project will allow you to research a morality topic of your choice and to connect it to the broader framework of morality.  The topics are listed on the page posted along with this assignment on teams.  This assignment includes two parts. 

Part One (Completed Independently): research, read, and annotate.

• Read and annotate the Catechism on your commandment and topic
• Read and annotate a relevant Vatican document (selected and provided by me)
• Read and annotate at least on Catholic/Christian scholarly article about your issue
• Read and annotate at least one secular (non-Catholic) scholarly article about your issue.  You will annotate each source above. 
  • Your annotations should begin with the correct MLA citation, followed by a 4-6 sentence summary of the article.

*** All annotations should be original and should be written by you.  You will turn this in via turn-it-in, and if plagiarism is detected, it will go to Honor Council.  See below for more details about plagiarism.

Part Two (completed with the person who selected your same topic): research and plan for assigned scenario

• Research the situation attached to your topic of choice
• Answer all questions contained within your scenario question with specific, accurate answers
• Cite all sources referenced—this includes AI, if used.
• Answer the final analysis questions below, for your given scenario:
  1. What most stood out in the scenario you researched?  What was most striking/surprising?
  2. What could we do as a society to make this issue better?  Provide at least one specific suggestion.
  3. What could you do as an individual to make these issues better?  Provide at least one specific suggestion.
  4. What are your final takeaways after analyzing this situation?

***  All answers to these questions should be original and written by you and your partner.  You will turn this in via turn-it in, and if plagiarism is detected it will go to honor council.  See below for details about plagiarism.

• Prepare one PowerPoint slide and give a brief (2-3 minutes) synopsis of your issue and the most important/surprising insights learned.
• Include a Works Cited page

Touchstone assignments:

1. Select your topic choice from the Signupgenius link posted as a Teams assignment.
   1. 5 point assignment, not part of the project grade
   2. Due Friday, November 22, at the beginning of class
2. Read/research for annotations and submit MLA citations for all sources.
   1. 5 point assignment, not part of project grade
   2. Due Friday, December 13 at the beginning of class
3. Read/research for scenario and provide at least 1 source related to each sub question
   1. 5 point assignment, not part of project grade
   2. Due Tuesday, December 17 at the beginning of class

4. Project Due: Thursday, December 19
   1. All pieces of your project are due both in print format, AND submitted via Turn it in
      1. Annotations
      2. Scenario research, plan, and answer to questions
      3. Works Cited: Word doc with all citations in MLA format
   2. Presentation: Give a 2-3 minute presentation of the most important elements from your research
      1. Prepare a PowerPoint slide and provide the basics of Church teaching and the rationale—how does it fit in the bigger picture as you learned from your research—please also include the most interesting details from the situation you researched.

Truth/Freedom:  Veritatis Splendor 6-17, 84-89  (8^th Commandment) Veritatis Splendor (6 August 1993) | John Paul II (vatican.va)

• You are a political philosopher, and you are struggling with the ways that the right/responsibility for truth interact with the right to freedom?  How can we balance these two goods?  How can we craft laws that allow individuals freedom, but also respect the truth of human strengths and weaknesses, and the reality of sin?  You want to write guidelines for politicians and engaged citizens to balance the two, particularly in the United States with our tradition of free speech and freedom of religion.  How can truth and freedom be understood in a way that allows them to be balanced?  Questions to address:  What is truth, and why is it good/should it be respected?  What is freedom, and why is it good/should it be respected?  What are practical and specific guidelines for politically engaged Americans to respect the Catholic understanding of both truth and freedom, within the guidelines of our Constitution and especially the first amendment/Bill of Rights?

Workers rights/Just Wage:  Laborem Exercens 2:4-9  (7^th Commandment) Laborem Exercens (14 September 1981) | John Paul II (vatican.va)

• You are starting a business and want to make sure to pay your workers a just wage.  Do research to determine what you think that might be in Dallas today.  Things to consider:  What basic costs need to be covered by a just wage?  What do those things cost in Dallas today?  Would the wage vary depending on a person’s responsibilities (ie—would a single person receive less than a married person with children)?  If so, how would you determine the rate?  If not, how would you make sure to pay a wage that was just to all needs of workers with a variety of responsibilities?  Etc.  Questions to address:  What basic needs need to be covered by a just wage?  What do these things cost in Dallas today?  Would the wage vary depending on responsibilities and if so how would you determine the rate?  If not, how could you make sure to pay all workers what was needed to cover their responsibilities?

Poverty:  Deus Caritas Est 2-20  (7^th Commandment) Deus caritas est (December 25, 2005) | BENEDICT XVI (vatican.va)

• You are single and pregnant and plan to keep your baby.  You have a job that provides a $30,000 per year salary with no maternity benefits, but you do have 2 weeks of vacation saved.  You also do not have health insurance.  You have a maximum of $300.00 extra per month to provide for the baby (you have a take home salary of $2100 per month after taxes—currently you spend $800.00 on rent, $200.00 on food, $200.00 on utilities, $300.00 on your car payment/insurance, and $200 on gas/miscellaneous).  You have no family support, and the father has disappeared.  Figure out how you can pay/receive benefits to take care of the basic needs for your baby during pregnancy and the first 6 months—this would include prenatal care, a car seat, bottles, diapers, wipes, clothes, a safe place to sleep and bedding, and childcare for 40 hours per week.  Questions to address:  What is the total estimated cost of the items that need to be covered?  Does your budget fund these costs?  If not, what governmental programs are available, and would they cover the remainder?

Environment:  Caritas in Veritatae 1-9, 43-51  (7^th Commandment) Caritas in veritate (June 29, 2009) | BENEDICT XVI (vatican.va)

• You would like to improve recycling options in Dallas.  Do research to find what program would have better long-term effects on the environment, and what steps you would need to take to attempt to get this implemented on a city-wide basis.  Questions to address:  What are better recycling programs?  What are the steps in attempting to implement a new program?

Globalized Economy:  Caritas in Veritatae 1-9, 32-40  (7^th Commandment) Caritas in veritate (June 29, 2009) | BENEDICT XVI (vatican.va)

• You are a business owner, and have successfully grown your business within the US, and are now planning to enter the global market.  How can you do this ethically?  From the production end to marketing, how can you produce and sell your product overseas and ensure safe and fair working conditions and wages?  Questions to address:  How can you best ethically produce a product overseas?  How can you best ethically market a product overseas?

   Climate Change:  Laudato Si 1-16, 20-26  (7^th Commandment) Laudato si' (24 May 2015) |  Francis (vatican.va)

• You work for the UN, and your current assignment is to research ways to help coastal communities worldwide deal with sea level rise and increasing/more intense hurricanes, and to help communities in forested areas deal with increased risk of forest fires.  Your suggestions must include estimated cost, and how this cost will be covered (especially in poorer nations who may lack the resources to cover these costs themselves).  Questions to address: What are evidence based potential solutions to the problems associated with sea level rise and hurricanes, and forest fires?  What are the most cost effective of those solutions, and how can they be funded in countries that lack the resources?

Family, Children, the Elderly:  Amoris Laetitia 1-22, 165-196:  (7^th Commandment)  papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia_en.pdf

• Your grandma has lived independently for some time but is now having significant problems managing on her own.  Your family has decided to bring her to live in your home, but as you and your siblings are in school and both of your parents’ work, there is no one to be with her during the day.  Do research to see how you could best manage this situation.  Your family has a maximum budget of $400 per month to care for your grandma but would be willing to use governmental assistance if available.  Questions to address: What are available options for caring for your grandma during the day?  How much do they cost?  If they are over your budget, what governmental programs might help, and will they cover the remainder?

Immigration:  Fratelli Tutti 1-28, 128-153 (7^th Commandment) Fratelli tutti (3 October 2020) | Francis (vatican.va)

• You live in a small town in Honduras and are married with 2 children.  Both you and your husband are unable to find work that will provide the barest of essentials for your family, and immigration seems to be the only way to save your children from extreme poverty and malnutrition.  You would like to go to the United States.  What process would you need to follow to immigrate legally?  If you can’t receive legal status, what are options and risks of coming illegally?  Questions to address:  What is the process to legally immigrate to the US from Honduras?  If you cannot come legal, what are the options and risks of coming illegally?

Rights of the Disabled:  THE PERSON WITH DISABILITIES: THE DUTIES OF THE CIVIL AND ECCLESIAL COMMUNITY:  (7^th Commandment) Persons with disabilities

• It is your first job, and you learn that a co-worker is being discriminated against due to a disability.  She asks for your advice in dealing with this situation.  Do research to find what legal protection your co-worker has, and what process she should follow to remedy the situation.  Questions to address: What legal protection does your coworker have?  What legal process needs to be followed if her rights have been infringed?

Politics:  Fratelli Tutti 1-28, 176-197 (7^th Commandment) Fratelli tutti (3 October 2020) | Francis (vatican.va)

• You have just won the election to become the new mayor of Dallas. You have to work with those on the other side to get some things accomplished—in particular dealing with roads and infrastructure to accommodate a growing population, and dealing with the issue of homelessness.  Do research to find out what you can do as a mayor, what policies and procedures you need to follow, and how you could begin the implementation of programs to improve both situations.  Questions to address: What powers does the mayor have, and how can s/he initiate changes within the city.  Specifically, how could you address improving highways/roads, and how could you improve the situation for homeless men and women, and those who live/work in the communities where they live?

Local, State and Federal Government sites:

Texas.gov | The Official Website of the State of Texas

Making government services easier to find | USAGov

City of Dallas Government

Texas Workforce Commission - Home Page

Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)

Department of Health & Human Services | HHS.gov

U.S. Customs and Border Protection | U.S. Customs and Border Protection

The Americans with Disabilities Act | ADA.gov

Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

International Sites:

United Nations | Peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet

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I only add information I can reasonably gather from the website into my citation.